Digital cameras are useful in both consumer and professional contexts. Generally, digital cameras can capture a digital image of a subject or scene. The captured image may then be transferred to a computer system for display, inserted as a graphical object into an electronic document, stored in a storage device, or output to a printing device, among other actions. In addition, there are other means of generating a digital image, such as by scanning hard copy photographs, etc.
Is In many digital cameras, the digital image capture operation is performed by a CCD (charged coupled device) array, in which individual CCDs, or distinct groups of CCDs, represent individual pixels of a captured image. The resolution of the camera is dependent upon the density of the CCDs in the array. Furthermore, while CCDs are prevalent, other digital image capture devices may alternatively be employed, such as drum scanners.
A variety of camera capabilities are available at a variety of prices points. One important camera feature that can significantly impact the cost of a digital camera is its resolution. Higher density CCD arrays, which provide higher resolution image capture, are more expensive than lower density CCD arrays. In other digital image capture devices, such as scanning devices, higher resolution also generally translates into higher cost. Nevertheless, many users wish to find a camera or other digital image capture device that provides high resolution images at a low price.